This novella is a beautifully told fable that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. If you need a break from door-stoppers, but still want an impactful fantasy with immersive world-building - this is the book for you!
Many know the story of Chang'e, the lonely goddess imprisoned on the moon as punishment for drinking the immortality elixir meant for her husband. Not many know that the elixir saved her unborn daughter's life. Xingyin, now grown, is forced to flee the moon when her existence is almost revealed. She has to learn to navigate the dangerous and magical Celestial Kingdom while hiding her true identity. Court intrigue, immortal battles, love, and betrayal follow as she attempts to free her mother and make a new life for herself. A fierce and beautiful re-imagining, sure to be a new favorite.
When apprenticed mapmaker Sai sets out to carve a new future for herself, she discovers that her ambition has a cost. What will she be willing to pay if it means she'll get everything she always thought she wanted? A beautiful exploration of ambition, heritage, family, and the costs of colonialism from Newbery Honor-winner Christina Soontornvat. Also dragons.
An inventive and original middle grade debut! The City juts out of the water like a shard of glass, mostly submerged beneath the waves. As the last city on earth, superstition and zealotry reign. When Ellie (an orphaned inventor) pulls a boy out of a beached whale, he is immediately suspected of being the new Vessel for the Enemy, an ancient immortal who's bent on leaving chaos and destruction in its wake. Ellie will stop at nothing to save him, but it could cost her everything.
A moody and atmospheric murder mystery with a unique setting and magic system. This book does a great job representing anxiety and chronic illness without making them hurdles for the characters to overcome.
This medieval India-inspired tale is full of mythology, goddesses and magic. A prophecy has destroyed everything in Gul's life, now she'll stop at nothing to avenge her family. Cavas wants nothing more than to care for his sick father, but a mysterious girl threatens to upend all his plans. As their lives intertwine, the fate of their kingdom is thrown into chaos.
The enchanting illustrations and increasingly amusing tale made this book an instant favorite. Mina is usually fine with her father's eccentric finds, like the stick bugs with their charismatic voices, but she's a little skeptical of the new squirrel he brings home, especially when the squirrel refuses to eat - not even acorns!
As anyone fortunate enough to live with a cat will tell you, cats generally don't do anything they don't want to do. This hilarious, rhyming read-aloud shows you exactly how far a cat will go to avoid being bathed.
East-Asian folklore meets the Grimms' "The Six Swans" in this gorgeous reimagining set in the world of Spin the Dawn.
Exiled and enchanted for magic she can't help but possess, Princess Shiori must find a way to save her brothers and her kingdom - all with the help of a shapeshifting dragon and the boy she was once supposed to marry.
Vivid and rich, Lim expertly weaves together familiar tales and folklore in such new and exciting ways, allowing for mystery and discovery in the stories we thought we knew so well.
Adventure is the last thing Barclay wants, and he's sure he won't find any apprenticed to a mushroom farmer. An accidental trip to the woods flings him into a hidden world of magic, Beasts, Beast collectors, and all the adventure he thought he didn't want.
Barclay's world is quirky and weird, and I'm so jealous I can't wander into the woods, bond with a Beast, and gain magical powers, too! Perfect for fans of Pokemon and How To Train Your Dragon!
I love fairytale/mythology retellings, so from the beginning I expected to enjoy this reimagining of Homer's Iliad, as told from Patroclus' perspective. I didn't expect to fall in love with this quiet and gentle story about legacy and how we choose to honor the ones we love. If you're on the fence about it, jump off and pick it up!
Amari's adventure begins when she receives a package from her missing brother. Before he went missing, he nominated her for an elite summer camp with the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. She has a lot of catching up to do if she wants to fit in with her supernatural peers and solve her brother's disappearance!
